A typical use of lighting systems is on a residential dwelling. When the holidays roll around, one of the many chores includes hanging decorative lights on the residential dwelling. The chore is not only bothersome, but may be dangerous. In the northern climates, the weather is cold. It may be so cold that ice has formed on various surfaces. If it is desired to hang the lights “up high” then the person doing the chore may have to climb the ladder to hang the lights. If there is frost or ice on the ground this chore can pose quite a danger. The older the person doing the chore the more dangerous this chore becomes. For example, an older gentleman may not have the strength or the balance that he had in his youth. If hanging lights using a ladder this may result in a high risk of a fall. Such a fall could produce an injury.
The result is typically very pretty in the evenings and rather unsightly during the day. The days are short, so the level of “suffering” produced by the unsightly strings of lights is tolerable. However, shortly after the holidays are concluded, someone is usually not gaining the benefit of having pretty lights shining during the night so there is a call to pull them down. Taking the light strings down is typically more dangerous than putting them up. Shortly after New Years in the Northern Hemisphere, there generally is snow on the ground and the possibility of ice is reality rather than a mere possibility. Typically, someone in the household decides that the unsightly lights are producing no benefit and must come down. Using a ladder in these conditions to remove the lights poses even more of a risk of falling or injury.
The hanging of lights on a residence used to occur for one set of holidays a year. Now, marketing moguls are increasing light sales be producing strings of lights for other holiday celebrations during the year. For example, it has become popular to set out strings of lights for Halloween and Easter. Of course, the lights are “themed” for the various holidays. In other words, the lights associated with Christmas will not work for the lights set out for Halloween. Accordingly, the ritual of hanging lights for the holiday and taking them down is starting to happen with more regularity since the process must be repeated for several holidays per year. If the marketeers of the world have their way, people will be changing lights for many of the various holidays.